To or to Not be Alone

Growles, darkness, rusling, lights, panic.

Windy Dusk felt all of this as he ran through a woodland of horrors. Unbeknownst to him, his hunt for a new life had sent the young pegasus colt directly to the Everfree Forest. On and on he ran, panting and fighting fatigue for his life.

“Enough!”

Dusk was frozen in place as a mare’s voice cut the air. He turned behind him, finding a butter-yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane literally staring down a Manticore behind him, the mighty beast made slightly not as threatening by his visible ribs.

“I know you’ve hungry, Mr. Manticore, but that’s no reason to chase a scared young foal! Yes, I know your prey has become scarce, yes that pony is small, but it’s still a pony! APOLOGIZE! THIS! INSTANT!”

Dusk’s mind had ultimately left him as he stood dumbfounded at the apologetic monster. He didn’t, no, couldn’t react as the mare ordered the manticore to apologize to him, nor could he react when the mare carried him back to her house, or laid him on her couch, or when she offered him treatment…

. . . . .

Broken and battered, a lone changeling nymph wandered the peaceful forest as she tried to hold in all that had happened to her. The hive had abandoned her and had thrown her to some random part of the planet, leaving her devoid of the normal buzz of the hive mind. Of course it didn’t matter where, she would starve anyways. She was normally competent enough, and by that she meant practically flawless, but her common memory losses… uh… oh yeah, left her to blunder one too many times. She had been banished like this supposedly for a whole year, with only a tiny fragment of the link remaining for the queen to use restore the nymph’s connections. It was a false hope, of course, and it only added to her list of ways to berate herse-

A bright light decided it agreed with the changeling, and by instinct, she hissed and quickly assumed the form of the first random filly she could think of; snow-white fur, a straight, cyan mane, dark blue eyes, and no cutie mark.

“What was that? Is anypony out there?” a female voice, in which the changeling empathically sensed confusion and concern, asked.

What was it they said to always do? Tell them that you weren’t there? “No, nopo-” NO WAIT NO, the changeling thought to herself, THAT’S WHAT THEY TOLD US NEVER TO DO! OH CRAP-

“Oh come on! Just come out, will you?”

Reluctantly, the changeling revealed herself. The voice in question was a purple earth pony mare with green eyes and a pink mane. Her cutie mark was blocked from view by her front. Her expression turned to bafflement at the arrival, and asked “Wait, who are you?”

“F- Frost” The newly-dubbed changeling nervously stuttered.

Normally, someling like Frost would be overjoyed to be found by the one most love-filled race in the world, but that was exactly what had her worried. No matter what, a changeling that wasn’t part of the hive would be hunted by those of the hive. That kind of tactic was just how Queen Chrysalis kept her hive as the strongest one in the world. She always sent more infiltrators to Equestria more than any other nation due to its strong love reserves, and that meant Frost was all the more likely to be slain.

“You can call me Cheerilee. Are you lost, Frost?” the mare rhymed.

“N-no, I kn-know where I’m-I’m going”

“Where”

A simple question, one that caught Frost completely off guard. Not knowing where she was, other than Equestria, there was no way she could say a plausible location-

“There, there, it’s okay,” Frost hadn’t realized that the distraction had allowed some tears to fall when Cheerilee started stroking Frost’s Mane. Compassion filled her and she took it greedily, only aware enough to only consume as much was what wouldn’t be noticed. It was bittersweet, knowing she was being nourished by failure. Cheerilee continued, “You don’t have to act tough around me, I won’t judge. Now how about I take you to your fam-”

“NO!” Frost screamed, “I mean, no, I-I-... I- don’t-”

“Oh my gosh, you poor thing!” Another wave of sympathy brought out Frost’s tears, ones that other infiltrators would envy were they not actually genuine. She stood there for at least another few minutes, letting out all that she had piled up and collecting more sympathy. No, she realized, I’m full. At this point…

It took her some effort, but a few deep breaths later, Frost was able to speak again. Too bad she didn’t think to know what words to say, “Uh…”

“...If you think you’re up to it, why don’t you go see if you can make a friend or two at the orphanage? You know, to take your mind off of other things?”

Frost nodded dumbly and followed Cheerilee’s lead, too surprised to do much else. By the time Frost had thought to do something, they had already reached to building in question.

. . . . .

“How did- what- why- wait, where are- who even are- what the, why- WHERE THE WORLD AM I?!” Dusk’s broken rant concluded itself when his slow mind realized what room he actually was in.

“The clinic. Now, please calm down. You’re just about ready to be discharged, I just need to know where to send you,” came the voice of a male doctor.

Here came what Dusk had recited in his mind a few times already, “Anywhere, really. I am a traveler, and the world is my home. But if I must, outside will be fine,”

“No,” the doctor said, “I meant family. To notify of, at the very least,”

“No.”

“No?”

“I… don’t like them,”

“How so?”

Dusk had been forced since birth to eat, walk, speak, flapping breathe properly. When he felt he was done with it all, he bid his farewells and left. His parents never batted an eye. So, to sum it up in “Two words? Canterlot. Noble,”

“Oh... Orphanage it is, then!” the doctor suddenly announced.

“What?”

“It’s parents or orphanage, kiddo. I’m not letting you go alone,”

Dusk sighed, before replying, “Fine…”

“Okay, so can I get the n-”

“Orphanage it is, then…”

“Alright, come along, Celestia darn it.”